


Light the Way

by dearwildflower



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Lights, Fluff, M/M, neighbors to lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:47:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28206315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearwildflower/pseuds/dearwildflower
Summary: It’s mid-December and Chanhee still hasn’t put up his Christmas lights. Good thing a certain neighbor is willing to help.
Relationships: Choi Chanhee | New/Lee Juyeon
Comments: 4
Kudos: 80





	Light the Way

**Author's Note:**

> Cheesy Christmas story, anyone? :)

The guy in the house next door is a complete jerk. When he isn’t leaving his garbage for Chanhee to pick up, he’s teasing him over their shared fence like an elementary school student. The biggest issue Chanhee has with his neighbor, however, is that he’s also painfully attractive. 

Juyeon is a hot jerk. 

And that pisses Chanhee off even more. 

To say Chanhee isn’t affected every time Juyeon addresses him is a lie. The involuntary flush of his cheeks says it all, although Chanhee will blame the frigidity of December for it. He’d be so much better off not running into Juyeon, and bypassing that fleeting desire to fight him on sight. Instead he could use that energy for other mundane tasks. For example, decorating for Christmas since it’s now mid-December and Chanhee still hasn’t put up his Christmas lights. 

He’s put it off as much as he could claiming busy work schedules, extreme fatigue and exhaustion, having a severe paper cut but by now all his neighbors have their lights up (including irritating hot boy Juyeon next door) and Chanhee just can’t be the odd man out. The need for inclusivity is strong in this neighborhood. 

So, at half past six after Chanhee has inhaled his dinner and has watched an episode of  _ Nailed It! Holiday!  _ he decides to put up those godforsaken Christmas lights. Wrestling them from the storage bin in his closet is the first tell tale sign that this task is not going to be easy. 

Chanhee’s usual plan of action details the minimal decoration of his front porch area. Tracing around the door, two windows and the part of the roof that he can reach by standing on the porch railing. 

Zipping up his coat, Chanhee moves outdoors, taking his small box of light clips and beat up multicolored lights with him. The sky is gray and ominous, promising a chance for snow. 

“I’ll have to hurry up then.” Chanhee speaks aloud, surveying his house for the easiest starting point. “Shoot, I forgot the extension cord.” 

“Are you talking to yourself or do you have invisible friends visiting?”

Chanhee’s back tenses and his right eye twitches. He should have known better than to believe his neighbor wouldn’t make his daily appearance. It already sucks that he has to endure the cold to put up his Christmas lights and now he’s guaranteed an audience. 

“Are you talking to me or your prized rose bush there?” Chanhee retaliates and he hears his neighbor stop snickering. A few times Chanhee has caught his neighbor in his rose bush, speaking to them as if they were real people as he watered and trimmed them. 

“That was like one time!” Juyeon clarifies hastily. “Plus it’s winter. Flowers don’t grow, silly.” 

“Ignore him and he will go away.” Chanhee tells himself as he enters his home to pull an extension cord from the hall closet. 

When he comes back out Juyeon is regrettably still hanging over the fence that separates their homes. He even puts away his phone and places his full attention on Chanhee as he begins to line the door with lights. 

“You know there’s an easier way of doing that.” 

“I’ve been doing this for years. This works for me.” Chanhee replies coldly because he most certainly does not need Juyeon’s unsolicited advice. 

“You’ve been putting yourself through all that work all these years? That’s sad.” 

Chanhee clenches his fist. He breathes in sharply, exhales and continues putting the lights on the door paying Juyeon no mind. He moves to the windows which are the easiest part of the process and steps back to admire his quick handy work. It’s a little sloppy and rushed and he’s sure if the wind blows hard enough some of the clips might fall off but for now it’s good enough. It allows him to keep up with the facade. 

When Chanhee turns around he almost jumps out of his skin seeing that his neighbor has entered his yard to sit on his porch steps and just loiter. Chanhee hovers above him questioningly, staring blankly until Juyeon feels his icy stare. 

Juyeon glances up at him with a boyish grin and Chanhee wants to rip his cute red beanie off and toss it into his yard. 

“Why are you here?”

Juyeon mutes the video he’s watching on his phone. “Because there’s nothing good on TV. Watching you is entertainment enough.” 

Chanhee’s mouth falls into a flat line as his neighbor chuckles. “Well I’m glad I can be of service to  _ you _ while you sit here and do nothing for  _ me _ .” He spits and retrieves the string of lights to wear over his shoulder as he climbs onto the porch railing. 

“If you wanted my help you could have just asked.” Juyeon says rolling his eyes playfully. 

“I don’t need your help.” Chanhee states, looking around for the light clips. “Where’s that box?” He mumbles more to himself than anyone else, but still, Juyeon hears him. 

He picks up the small box from the ground where it sits close to him and hands a handful of them to Chanhee with a judicious smile. Chanhee’s nostrils flare but he stuffs the clips into his pocket. 

“I suppose I’m of use after all.” 

“Can’t you just go back to your house and mind your own business?” 

“No. This is fun to watch.” Juyeon quips as his gaze faithfully tracks Chanhee’s movements. “And I don’t want you to fall. You seem a little frail. You might break into pieces.”

Chanhee glares at him over his shoulder and aimlessly kicks at him. Lining the roof with lights turns out harder than he remembered. Balancing on the ledge is precarious but Chanhee refuses to ask for help. 

“Chanhee, let me put those up for you.” Juyeon offers, tone wavering towards concerned. “You’re gonna hurt your legs.” He taps Chanhee’s stretched calf but Chanhee shakes him off. 

“I’m fine. I got it.” Chanhee reiterates although Juyeon calling his name has definitely thrown off his concentration. “I told you I can do it myself!” 

All it takes is one miscalculated step for the pad of Chanhee’s foot to slip and knock him off balance. He lands in the dead bush below him with a defenseless yelp. Despite it not being a long fall the harsh naked branches still stab Chanhee in places he’d rather not be poked. 

“Ow,” He groans pitifully. When he looks up Juyeon is staring at him wide eyed. Fortunately, he seems too shocked to make fun of Chanhee-

“... told you that you looked frail.” 

Chanhee’s face immediately goes hard, mumbling angrily as he tries to fight his way out of the prickly shrub. Juyeon offers his hand but Chanhee bats it away stubbornly. 

“Just give me your hands!” Juyeon insists, shaking his huge paws. “I refuse to sit out here while you spend all night trying to pick yourself up.” 

Chanhee scoffs, partially out of embarrassment, but also curiosity. “I wouldn’t take all night! Anyway, no one is telling you to stay out here with me. Why would you even do that?” He huffs and misses the obvious look Juyeon sends him. “And you have no idea how uncomfortable these tiny branches are! They hurt!” He yells agitatedly, but ultimately throws his hands up at Juyeon. 

With a strong pull, Chanhee is yanked from the bush to his feet and into Juyeon’s padded chest. Juyeon places one hand at the small of Chanhee’s back to keep him from stumbling. Thanks to their coats the distance between them is nonexistent. 

“You wouldn’t have known how uncomfortable those branches were if you just let me help you in the first place.” Juyeon says matter of fact, scolding Chanhee in the gentlest tone. “Can I do this for you now?” 

In Juyeon’s arms Chanhee feels uselessly dainty, like a damsel in distress, and despite his best efforts to complete the task on his own, he knows he should give up. Begrudgingly, he nods and Juyeon steps away from him to take hold of the dangling string lights. 

“See how much easier it is when we work together?” Juyeon grins, standing atop the porch railing flashing a megawatt smile that brightens his whole face. Chanhee averts his gaze with a forced eye roll, well aware of his thumping heart, and hands Juyeon more light clips. 

“Just hurry up and string my lights, you menace.” Chanhee bites which makes Juyeon laugh and soon after Chanhee is giggling quietly alongside him. 

When Juyeon finishes lining the front of the house, without any more accidents, Chanhee comes to the conclusion that his neighbor Juyeon, despite a few lame holiday jokes, is: one, even hotter up close and two, not as big of a jerk as he let himself believe. He’s easy to get along with once Chanhee lowers his guard, and it seems what Chanhee saw as juvenile hijinks were actually just juvenile pleas for his attention. 

“There you go. All set for Christmas.” Juyeon clears his pocket of clips and admires his and Chanhee’s work. “The last house on the block is  _ finally _ ready.” 

“Oh hush. I would have gotten it done eventually.” Chanhee grumbles and kicks at the ground. If he’s being honest he’s a little disappointed that their time together has come to an end. 

“I’m not sure about that.” Juyeon says a bit doubtful until his expression morphs into one of youthful excitement when he notices the flurries falling from the sky. “It’s snowing!” He exclaims, a sweet smile blooming on his face with such an innocence that Chanhee just about combusts. 

“Do you-” He blurts without any thought besides  _ Oh God, I hope he didn’t hear that,  _ and clamps his lips together. 

Juyeon turns to him curiously, baiting. “What was that?” 

Chanhee releases a big weary sigh and swallows his pride. What does he have to lose? “In appreciation,” He begins, haphazardly waving his hand at the house and trying to make his next words not sound like a big deal. “For helping with the lights, do you wanna come in for some hot chocolate?” 

This time, Juyeon’s beaming smile lacks any form of sarcasm or playful ridicule. Instead it reads genuine and hopeful and for once Chanhee doesn’t hold back. He returns the smile, albeit bashfully, and tucks his hands into his coat pockets.

Juyeon takes a step closer to him beneath the lightly falling snow and in the glow of the early evening Chanhee sees Juyeon in a new light. Apparently a light that Juyeon had been trying to make him see all along. 

“I thought you’d never ask.”

  
  
  


_ A few months later  _

  
  
  


“Get your smelly feet off my coffee table! Do that in your own home  _ next door _ !”

Chanhee knows Juyeon only does that to get a reaction out of him and after this long he should know better than to give into his boyfriend’s antics, but it’s nothing short of an affectionate habit now. 

Juyeon stretches his long limbs further onto Chanhee’s furniture making sure to poke at the poetry book that resides on the table with his toes. 

“Poke at that book all you want! It’s the one you gave me and I have no intentions of reading it anyway.” 

Juyeon laughs loudly, warmly. He’s unaffected by Chanhee’s words because he can see the bookmark wedged about fifty pages in. 

“Why do you insist on acting so cold when I already won you over?” 

No matter how long Chanhee has lived next to Juyeon or how much time they’ve spent together since they started dating, Chanhee still cannot control the heat that creeps up his face when Juyeon talks to him like that. So straightforward and doused with confidence. He wonders when he’ll get used to it. 

“How are you so sure I’ve been completely won over?” Chanhee asks with one thin eyebrow raised as he finishes clearing the dinner table of takeout boxes. He looks into the living room to make sure Juyeon’s feet are off the coffee table and finds them neatly crossed at the ankle on the floor where they belong. “You’re mighty confident for someone who took forever to confess his feelings.”

Juyeon’s jaw drops open incredulously but he doesn’t say anything back. Chanhee is positive he’s mentally reliving that night. The Christmas lights, the hot chocolate, the awkward nervous atmosphere after he told Chanhee that he wanted to go on a date with him, the part where Chanhee blushed to the root of his scalp and agreed. 

“Do you know how long I tried to get you to notice me? Months.” Juyeon states, leaning back into the couch. “You’re pretty hardheaded.”

Chanhee wipes his hands and throws away the paper towel before shuffling into the living room. “You were bullying me! How was I supposed to put two and two together?”

Juyeon shakes his head in disaffirmation. “I wasn’t bullying you. I just teased you a little.”

“Yeah, like a little kid.” Chanhee deadpans. “I didn’t know such tactics were still in use. I thought this was 2021 not 1987.”

“Okay, okay I give.” Juyeon raises his hands in surrender and Chanhee drops his hands from his hips to plop down onto the couch next to Juyeon. When he’s comfortably wedged into Juyeon’s side the latter chuckles under his breath. “But I still won.”

“Come on!” Chanhee yells into his ear gearing up for another debate but Juyeon grins, mischievously loving, and shushes him with an airy kiss that leaves no room for debate. 

  
  
  


“You know you have to take down your Christmas lights, right?” Juyeon asks, stretching his arms after a long movie as Chanhee reaches for the television remote.

“No,” Chanhee says, sitting back and complacently tucking his head into the crook of Juyeon’s shoulder. “That’s what you’re here for.”

Juyeon half laughs and kisses the top of Chanhee’s head, wrapping his arm tightly around him. “You’re right. That’s exactly why I’m here.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
